Method and apparatus for reducing metal to a finely-divided condition



E. J. HALL.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING METAL TQA FINELY DIVIDED CONDlTION. APILICAHON [HEU AUG.2B,19I5- 1 ,306,060. Patented une 10, 191%).

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UNITED STATES EVERETT J. HALL, or NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR To METALS DISINTEGRATING COMPANY, me, 015 NEW YORK, 11. Y., A CORPORATION 0E NEW YORK.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REbUCING METAL TO A FINELY-DIVIDED CONDITION.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 10, 1919,

Application filed August as, 1916. Serial No. 117,162.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EVERETT J. HALL, a

citizen of the United States, residing at sion of the metal under treatment, and with desirable uniformity of product.

' Other objects and aims of the invention will be in part obvious and in part specifi cally referred to in the course'of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts, and applica- 80 and in which I have shown a form of emtions of principles constituting the invention; .and the scope of protection contemplated will appear from theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, which are bodiment of apparatus well adapted for use in thecarrying out of my new process, Figure 1 is a sectional view, with arts in elevation, and Fig. 2 is a sectiona View taken 0n the'line 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, there is shown at 1 a furnace of suitable construction, within whichis supported a crucible 2. The inlet for flameor combustible gases forthe heating of metal within thecrucible is indicated at 3. The bottom of the crucible is distinguished by the numeral 4, and it is intended that molten metal within the crucible shall drop. through the perforations in the bottom 4 in the form of globules, or in fine streams and of course the perforations will have to .be properly spaced so that the globules or streams will not run or fuse together after passing through the perforations, while the size of the perforations Wlll determine somewhat the size of the globules or streams.

Below the bottom 4 there is a chamber 5, into which there is an inlet 6 for a protecting as, such as chlorin, and from which cham er there is an outlet 7 for :such protecting gas. Obviously, the particles of metal dropping from the bottom 4: of the crucible will pass through the protecting gas in the chamber 5, and the gas should e continuously changed to avoid overheating and to accomplish the preliminary cool.

ing of the metal particles; this cooling of the particles is eflected without access of air, and consequently without danger of oxidation, combustion, or explosion.

Below the chamber 5 there is a closed receptacle 8,'into which the chamber 5 opens,

and this receptacle 8 has a tangential inlet. and a tangential outlet 9 for some protecting liquid such as kerosene. inlet is toward the bottom of the receptacle and the outlet near the top, so that particles dropping from the perforated bottom 4, through chamber 5 and into'receptacle 8 are gradually cooled as they pass to the bottom of receptacle 8, since of course the liquid in the receptacle 8 will be hot at the top and cool at the bottom, relatively. The tangen: tial' inlet and outlet give a rapid whirling circulation of the protecting llquid within the receptacle, and the liquid is preferably under suflicient pressure so thatthisrapid whirling assists in thedisintegra-tion of the metal, partially accomplished by the dropping of the particles intoand through the relatively cool fluids in chamber 5 and receptacle 8. The protecting and cooling medium or liquid in receptacle 8 must certainly be supplied in sufficient volume to prevent it reaching boiling or decomposition temperature, and it is preferred to keep the tem erature well below such point for the sa e of greater cooling effect. Preferably the receptacle with its inlet and outlet are in a closed circuit including a pump, or other forcing means, and in the outlet there may be a liquid seal in the form of an ordinary trap 11, to prevent the escape of any of the gas from chamber 5. Numeral 10 indicates a draw-off valve or outlet from which the disintegrated metal in the liquid seal receptacle 8 may be at intervals or continuously re--' moved, passing thence to a screen or separator in order that the accompanying protecting liquid may be recovered and returned {Preferably the i to a still more finely divided condition by g v 1,3oe,oeo

grinding itv under oil or some other oxidation-preventing liquid or fluid, after which the powdered metal is separated from the protecting liquid or fluid and properly dried.

Inasmuch as many changes could be inade in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended thatall matters contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language. used in the following claims is intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described. and all statements of the scope of the invention which. as a matter of language, might be said to fall there-between.

I claim:

1. The method which consists in continuously passing particles of molten metal through a body of protecting gas and thence into and through a body of protecting liquid, said bodies of gas and liquid being continuously renewed.

2. The method 'which consists in passing particles of molten metal through a body of protecting gas and thence into and through a body of protecting liquid. and maintaining said protecting liquid below a predetermined temperatur The method which consists in passing particles of molten metal through a body of protecting gas and thence into and through a rapidly whirling body of protecting liquid.

4. The combination of a receptacle for holding a supply of molten metal. a perforated bottom for said receptacle. a chamber for which said perforated bottom constitutes the'top, a liquid receptacle into which said chamber opens, a gas inlet to the chamber.

and a liquid inlet to the liquid receptacle.

5. The combination of a. receptacle for holding a supply of molten metal, a perforated bottom for said receptacle, a chamber for wlnch said perforated bottom constitutes the top. aliquid receptacle into which said chamber opens. gas inlets and outlets for the chamber. and liquid inlets and outlets for the liquid receptacle.

6. The combination of a receptacle for holding a supply of molten metal. a perforated bottom for said receptacle. a chamber for which said perfo 'ated bottom constitutes the top, a liquid receptacle into which said chamber opens. agas inlet to the chamber.

and a liquid inlet to the liquid receptacle. said liquid inlet being disposed tangentially to the adjacent wall of the receptacle.

7. The combination of a receptacle for holding a supply of molten metal. a perforated bottom for said receptacle. a chamber for which said perforated bottom constitutes thetop. a liquid receptacle into which said chamber opens. a gas inlet to the chamber.

and a liquid inlet to the liquid receptacle,

said liquid receptacle having also a valve controlled outlet at its bottom.

8. The combination of a receptacle for holding a supply ofmolten metal. a perforated bottom for said receptacle. a chamber chamber. and liquid inlets and outlets for the liquid receptacle. said liquid inlet being at the lower portion of theliquid receptacle. and the liquid outlet being at the top thereof.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

EVERETT J. HALL. 

